Animated Films You Probably Never Saw (DW, Dis. seqs, obsc.)

[Pick]

Yeah, strangely enough, I do think both Prince of Egypt and Joseph work better as movies than in their original versions, or The Ten Commandments. Maybe it's because they require some coherency and character (shocker!). In other news, I'm back on a computer, so I'll try to get a few more up soon.

[Pick]

More:

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The Princess and the Pea

Frankly, this is a damn stupid legend to make a movie from. Amazingly, however, it's not totally shit. Maybe a 6/10? I hate arbitrary numbering. This is clearly a movie for younger children, and that should be kept in mind while I discuss the film. Okay. First off, the animation is quite acceptable. It's not Disney level, but perhaps of later Bluth tier, which is surprisingly decent for a movie with no budget. It's genuinely feature film animation, not glorified TV stuff. The character designs are either adequate or good--the raven, especially has a neat-looking design, very well handled--which sets it well above design monstrosities like Quest for Camelot. Some characters have an almost excessively Disney feel, as in you genuinely feel like they're from a Disney film, but you just can't place which one. At times, the pigs in the film remind me of Henwin (sp?) from The Black Cauldron to an amazing degree, but I wouldn't cry plagiarism, or at least not until I compare some sequences, which will probably never happen. Also, the princess' hair is very much like Aurora's from Sleeping Beauty. I actually get the feeling they watched a bunch of Disney films and tried to cobble together similar aspects (there's also a scene that really reminds me of the scene with Esmeralda in the cathedral in The hunchback of Notre Dame, too) but managed to somehow not utterly fail at it (again, take note, Quest for Camelot). I have to admit I find the male lead villain to have some surprisingly good scenes, and the tone is somewhat more serious than Cinderella's, but it's about the same level. The backgrounds are pretty meager, but not too much worse than some of Dreamworks' in their later animated features. They are worse, though. I think backgrounds take the hit first, as I've mentioned, which is a shame I simply must accept.

Plot-wise, they did a good job expanding a stupid story into a watchable movie. The characters are generally likable and fun. The songs aren't even too bad, they're just not too good. All in all, I wish that more of those hideous Goodwill-thriving VHS tapes of Italian Disney ripoffs were movies like this instead. You know, watchable, at least. I'd put it above Quest for Camelot, though the animation and backgrounds falter in comparison, simply because the designs and the likability of the characters. You know, that falcon in this movie sort of reminds me of Silverwings from Quest for Camelot. Huh. Yeah, so it's derivative, but not disgustingly so. It's not the Transmorphers of animated films, more like the desperate wannabe film that actually tried. But you know, for a start, it's okay. And I say "a start" since this is the same team that did that Velveteen Rabbit movie I've been meaning to check out.

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The Plague Dogs

Yup, this ranks as one of my favorites, I think. You know, one of those favorites you can't watch very often, because damn. What a depressing as all-get-out movie. Plotted exceptionally, with a very unusual but amazing animation style. Minimal use of outlines, which worked great. Well-decided palette, though the human flesh tone is a bit on the red side. Water animation could be better. These are all super minor quibbles, since the movie itself is fantastic. I don't know if I'd say it's "better" or "worse" than Watership Down, but you definitely see the impact of the studio in both. Fully recommended. Also, it's darker and more interesting than most animated films, so it'd be perfectly appropriate for anyone of a greater age, such as, say, the people on this forum. It's boring to write good reviews, but there you are.

[Big Orange]

From what little I've seen of The Plague Dogs would earn it a 12 rating, with no punches pulled in the depiction of clinically brutal animal experimentation.

I'm baffled why Watership Down has a U rating, what with fighting, abuse, mauling, and implied mass deaths involving cute animated rabbits. The general tone of the movie feels quite morose and the ending is bittersweet, while some of the more trippy segments would blatantly upset many under tens, so strictly for small children it ain't and it deserves a PG rating. I'd put Watership Down in the same category as the Studio Ghibli movies in terms of moderate violence and handling themes darker than most other Disney movies, without going overboard like some Japanese animation. The score by Angela Morley is memorable and defines the different moments and characters effectively.

There is also a memorable, haunting Big Lipped Alligator Moment where a young rabbit (voiced by Briers) is led into the foggy nightime countryside by the Black Rabbit of Inle (a rabbit Anubis) while Art Garfunkel's "Bright Eyes" gently plays in the background. The beautiful animation was at its best here. The animation is a bit grimy and slow in places, what being made in the 1970s, but putting things into perspective Disney released the abominable Pete's Dragon and the not so terrible but still so-so The Rescuers around the same time, while there was also the awkward Lord of the Rings movie by Bakshi.